Random Summer Pics

In all this snow I think it's kinda comforting to look back on the summer and be reminded that the spring will come soon, bringing us long sunny days to spent lying in the grass eating ice cream or drinking beers with friends. So here comes a few random summer pics - From New York, Berlin, Copenhagen and  Roskilde Festival.

BLESS

While everybody is going on about Fashion Week in Copenhagen I wanna show a few pics from the little shop Bless Shop Berlin - one of their flagship stores wich at the moment is "in motion" as it says on their website. Check it out here www.bless-service.de/

They have a way of turning everything upside down and inside out, making the most beautiful designs, playing with conventions and the presumption of the prupose of the products. Their things can't really be put in a box, but exists somewhere between art and design being innovative and pushing your imagination over the limit.

Bruises

Copenhagen Culture Night takes place every year in October and my school are one of the contributers. Third semester creates dresses inspired by a certain theme. The project lasts 2 month and culminates with a fashionshow.

In 2009 the theme was the body and my class was the creators.

There are so many things to be inspired by from the body; cells, illnesses deformations... all of wich can seem gross but can be turned into something beautiful. On this site you can click on a name and see the inspiration and the result. http://tekstilformidler.ucc.dk/Hvadskerder/kulturnat/

My inspiration came from bruises and Egon Schiele's perception of the female body. 

Exercises in fashion illustrations

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil in my hand and I took drawing and art classes when I was a kid. Back then I drew and painted almost anything - what ever was on my mind; objects, architecture, animals, nude drawing and portraits, but later the theme of my drawings changed to being more fashion illustrations and that's mainly what I still do. 

Last year I took a class in fashion illustration and actually learned techniques behind it. I found it difficult to follow the teacher's advice because I was more comfortable with my self-taught techniques. But I stopped resisting the instructions and learned a lot from it. 

These are some of the drawings made in that class. 

These drawings all represent very different techniques. The first was a dress just hangning there. The second was drawing a live model (one of the other girls in the class) which was done without lifting the pencil from the paper. The third one was different pieces of clothes draped on a mannequin and we really had to make it realistic. The last one was started by spashing watercolour on the paper and seeing how it could grow to be a fashion illustration. 

I found that I really like being very meticulous and taking my time - it's almost like meditaion for me, which I never realised before because I'm also very impatient. 

I don't feel that secure using colors and the result is always either very good or very bad, but those that come out very good like this last one, I really love.

Pattern Magic

As we begin a new project at my school the teachers usually find us a couple of books for inspiration, and they just purchased these two; Pattern Magic vol. 1 and 2. 

The books show these amazing sculpturel patterns. they are almost like origami - and it's such a fantastic source for unlimited inspiration. 

As a fashion student you easily get nerdy about cuttings and patterns, imagining how you create products like these. I am especially crazy about the example on the first book with the squares. 

Even though the book is in Japanese the pattern development is very easy to understand so you can still use it. 

So Pattern Magic vol. 1 and 2 are just another two on the long list of books I dream about buying.

Julefrokost med vennerne

I saw good old friends to christmas lunch - classic Danish julefrokost with old good friends this Saturday. It was such a great night with delicious food, beers, old anecdotes, silly hats and drinking games. They are always so good company. This is what I wore.

  

My drawing hand

A couple of drawings I made daydreaming in class.

 

It's a shorts day left

Been lazy all day so now it's time to go to school and get some work done. 

Wearing old old jeans cut to shorts and a shirt with zippers.

All my shoes

I guess you have alot of shoes when they can fill up half your room. Trying to force myself to get rid of at least some of them almost hurts even though it's the ones I don't really wear anyway. 

The military jacket

For my exam this summer I wrote about the military jacket and what it represents. After the death of Michael Jackson this summer, the military jacket has been everywhere, but the trend didn't start with Michael Jackson. He was inspired by another great musician; Jimi Hendrix. During the Vietnam War many artists expressed their protest against the war through songs and fashion statements. 

At Woodstock in 1969 Jimi Hendrix played his version of The Star-Spangled Banner and you would often see him wearing a military jacket he had purchased in the vintage boutique I Was Lord Kitchener’s Valet in London. A jacket that soon became famous. Among other artists he created a trend, making a fashion statement, using military clothes as a protest - an ironic comment about war and changing what the military jacket originally represents.

Inspired by this I made a jacket with military references using untraditional colors to create a contrast to the original meaning of a military jacket.

 

  

  

Christmas fair '09

We just had the christmas fair at my school.

My friend Hanne Hjort took these great pics of the booth and the stuff I made. 

An overview over my booth. The closest i am to have a visiting card at the moment.

 

Blouse made from velvet with silver print.
Different styles of earrings. Fringes, Barbie shies and bowties.
 

Chain necklace made of leather. One in grey and one in black.  

Short jacket, grey with red lining.

Everything is for sale. Send me a mail if you're interested - tibbe.smith@gmail.com.

Today

I was wearing this new sweater from Topshop, old jeans, my shoes from Gardenia 

and the necklace is my own design.

Vest is taken over

Like so many other girls I have fallen in love with the vest. The trend is to see everywhere in the street, especially those of leather or fur. 

This spring I made a leather vest  - A redesign project at school. 

So with focus on the environment and reuse I found a 2. hand leather skirt and pants. 

This is the result.

 

  

But a leather vest wasn't enough. I saw this beatyful fur vest at a fleemarket in October. But since it was almost falling apart I didn't wanna pay the money it cost.

Then I came across this cool fabric and designed this instead. I'm really happy with it and the fact that it's fake fur. It's supposed to look like persian lamb, and I think it looks very pretty.

 

   

People of inspiration

Inspirational sources for is is all around me, 

but with my fascination with and love for rock music and indie culture, not surprisingly, 

there are some people, who stand out.

The singer-songwriter and "godmother of punk" Patti Smith inspires me with her sense of style, her androgynous and feministic way of dressing. Her powerful and strong personality and the fact that she is so politically engaged. She doesn't let things slip by her. She takes a stand on subjects and events in the world, is active and writes songs about it. Her lyrics are not like most musicians, they are so full of meaning and they force the listener to think. Her music has become very imoportant to me.

 

  

  

 

P.J.Harvey is another amazing artist.

 

Even though music became her choice of career, she has talent in art as well. Her style is unique and in all her photos there's a certain atmosphere, a special feel wich she also applies in her music. She is provocative in a kinda naive way.

 

   

The actress Chloë Sevigny is important too.

 

Because Chloë Sevigny is very selective and aware when she accepts movie parts, the films are always worth watching. I find that they always touch me deep inside. 

She is being applaused in many medias for her excellent style. She has said herself that she loves style, not fashion. Again she doesn't just go with the flow, but chooses her own path. With her sense of fashion and style of course she designs clothes too. 

  

  

  

In the end I'll mention musician and model Jamie Bochert.

 

She's interesting and intriguing like Patti Smith (whom she has played a concert with), P.J.Harvey and Chloë Sevigny and I'm exited to learn more about her.